//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three-Snuggling with Spoony 
// Story: Why won't you love me? 
// by Diamond Sparkle 
//------------------------------//

It was only a short walk back to the Rich Mansion, and Filthy greeted his daughter with a forehead kiss. "I've missed you, how has your day been?" Diamond managed a faint smile that she didn't really feel. "Oh, Silver and I had a falling out, but it's ok now. I'm going to go to my bedroom for a bit, call me if you need me or when supper is ready." Once she was alone she carefully attached the silver spoon decal that she had brought to the plushie's flank and grinned. "I told you if you waited that your cutie mark would come back. I'm really happy that you saw sense and decided that you still loved me. What would you like to do now?" With a hoof she moved the plushie's head. "You're tired? You want to lie down for a bit in my arms? That's a lovely idea Silver." She took the plushie, hugged it and got into her bed, and started counting not sheep in her head, but Silver Spoons, each of them gorgeous. And started to dream.

She was standing in a misty field, the sun setting and blood red. And a smiling Silver Spoon came leaping over a fence, looking as beautiful as Diamond had ever seen her. Her cutie mark glittered, her silver fur shone, even her hooves had been cleaned. But instead of taking any notice of Diamond, she trotted off, the first in a long line of Silver Spoons, each of which looked a little more unhappy and unkempt. And then they started to look...dead. First freshly dead, with their glazed eyes the only sign that they were not alive, then with matted fur falling out in clumps and empty eye sockets, then skeletal ponies. As they started to chase her, she woke... 

And hugged the plushie still tighter and planted a little kiss on it's nose. "I'll never leave you, Silver." Maybe if I were to deeply befriend or even seduce Alula, she could talk to Spoony and get her to at least like me again? And when I was with Alula I could imagine that I was with Silver and if I was careful Alula would never have to know about it. She kissed the plushie again, and hugged it feeling the fear from her nightmare slowly disperse. "Spoony, I don't think I could ever be unhappy when I was with you." She settled back to sleep, to be woken by a knock on the door. It was one of her maids. "Lady Tiara, you need to get ready for school." Diamond yawned, stretched, got up and put on her tiara, which was all that she needed on an average school day. She put on her saddlebags and gently placed the Silver plushie into her bag. "Silver, if I have to go to school then you have to go too, otherwise Miss Cherilee will give you a detention and make you write fifty lines, and then I'll have to hang around waiting for you." And she set off to school.

*****
Medicine Spoon, Silver Spoon's mother, said gently but firmly " Silver Spoon, you have to go to school. It's what your father would want, a clever daughter. Plus you will get into trouble if you don't go." Reluctantly Silver allowed her maids to place her saddlebags on her that were filled with her schoolbooks and other school stuff and set off to school, wondering if Diamond Tiara was going to start pestering her again. When she got there she was rather surprised to find that almost every colt and filly in the playground was gathered around in a circle and giggling. It's most likely those three blank flanks again and they've done something stupid Silver thought, shoving her way into the circle to see what was happening. Much to her surprise, it was Diamond Tiara that almost everypony was laughing at, as she sat in the playground next to her plushie with it's spoon for a cutie mark and chatted to it softly. 

"Ignore their laughing Silver, they are just jealous of us because we are the richest fillies in our class. Now, what would you like to do today? How about a..."

Silver glared at Diamond, at the plushie that was so obviously meant to be her, then back at Diamond again. "Diamond Tiara Rich, are you totally bucking insane?!"

Diamond looked at Silver, screamed, her mane briefly standing on end, and shouted "Changeling! We have a changeling in the playground. Tell Miss Cherilee and call the Guards-where there is one changeling there could be more. Silver, if she attacks us, both of us are going to have to jump on her." As she took up a combat stance with her plushie behind her the school bell rang and she picked up her plushie and went into class with the others, placing her plushie on her desk beside her. Cherilee said "Today's lesson is about the Warring States period of Equestrian history and...Diamond Tiara, you are not in kindergarten. Leave that plushie in the cloakroom please."

"I will not. That plushie, as you call her, is Silver Spoon, one of the best and only friends that I have ever had. And that one over there is a Changeling. The real Silver Spoon would never abandon me for any reason." 

"Either that plushie goes out of the class or you do," Cherilee replied, and Diamond tossed her plushie into one of her saddlebags and galloped out of the classroom and out of the school, much to the amusement and eye rolling of the rest of the class. Halfway through the next lesson a couple of armed Royal Guards turned up in the classroom. "Miss Cherilee, we're sorry to disturb you and your class, but somepony told us that Silver Spoon was a Changeling, and after the attack on Canterlot we have to check out every rumour of Changelings. Fortunately   Twilight Sparkle recently came up with a workable, painless spell to uncover Changelings so no innocent ponies have to be arrested and waste our and their time being wrongly interrogated." 

Silver Spoon glared at them. "Did Diamond Tiara lie to you can tell you that I was a Changeling?"

"It is Royal Guard policy never to divulge the names of our informants for their safety. And whilst it is very unlikely that you are a Changeling, we still need to  cast the spell just to make sure." He cast the spell and a golden circle briefly formed around Silver Spoon and then faded away. "You are indeed Silver Spoon."

"Of course I am, and I feel insulted that you think I'm a Changeling. Those bugs murdered my father only days ago. I would happily burn their entire Hive to the ground."

"Well, our informant seemed very certain about what she was saying so either she has very good acting skills or she really did think you were a Changeling. We don't think she was malicious and did it for fun. We'll be going back on patrol now."

Diamond Tiara walked home chattering to her plushie all the way. "Stupid Miss Cherilee, taking the word of a Changeling over you. Just as well we met those Royal Guards and told them about that Changeling that dared to try and take your place. When we get home we can chat together, snuggle, plan a way to humiliate those blank flanks, just like the old times. Just....like....the...old...times."